Na Pravil'nom Puti
by He Who Descends
Summary: Alek cant remember a thing about his past except that hes lived in orphanage for most of it.His life looks bleak when his nursemaid finds him a job.Until fate leads him to St Petersburg where he meets Jaspers gang who are going to help him find his family
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello! Long time since I posted last (I think?) Anyways, so funny story about this post. My boyfriend, Lyle, is totes away for the next few weeks so I'm home alone with my cats (Carlisle, Jasper, Ivan Braginski and Lucifer) and last night they decided to be pains. I made instant Mac and Cheese for dinner and Lucifer decided he wanted some so ate half of it off my plate while I was in the loo. /=|. Then Jasper tried to type on my laptop and wrecked my 'k' key and I swear Carlisle and Ivan were laughing at me. Grrrr. Cats!**

**Kisses!**

** He Who Descends *xoxo***

A long time ago, in a palace beyond what is seen in fairytales, a party was in full swing. A man sat upon a throne that looked out at the entire of his ballroom. He watched dear friends, both from Mother Russia and exotic places afar, dance and chatter.

He took particular interest in his wife. The Empress of Imperial Russia. She was dancing with a child, no older than two. He was ivory porcelain pale with snowy blonde hair that matched the Empress' own. He had stolen away her thin, pouty, very feminine lips and her deep blue eyes too. Though he had the facial structure of the man on the throne; strong hard jaw line, high and very prominent cheek bones and a slightly pointed nose.

The two were dancing and laughing in no particular order or fashion. Just for fun.

The man sitting proudly upon the throne, Ionafan (Jonathon), was the child's father, the Emperor of Imperial Russia. And the woman, Mar'ya Anne (Marianne), his mother. The boy, Carlisle Alexandr Mikhail, was the Prince. The smallest Romanov family Imperial Russia had seen for decades. Only one child.

Mar'ya Anne made her way up the stairs to her husband, her tiny, dainty child in her arms. She sat in the lesser throne by her husband's side. He smiled at her and kissed his son's forehead. Mar'ya Anne's mother moved to stand behind her daughter.

"Carlisle," she said softly, "I brought something for you, child."

"Oh mama," Mar'ya Anne whispered. "You spoil him."

"Oh shush," the older woman said, delving into a bag and pulling out a tiny, very intricate music box. She handed it to the blonde boy. He took it with a wide smile and toyed a little.

"Here," his mother took it gently and opened it. A soft tune drifted out of it as two dancing people, a man and a woman, rose and began to spin.

"His lullaby," Ionafan whispered.

"On the wind;  
Cross the sea;  
Hear this song and remember;  
Soon you'll be, home with me;  
Once upon a December," Mar'ya Anne's mother sang, slightly out of tune. Not that Carlisle minded, of course, he just liked the song. His song. It was special. His mother sang it every night before he went to sleep and in his mind, he'd _die_ without it.

"Oh thank you mama," Mar'ya Anne whispered.

It was then, that the lights fell dim and one fell limp from the roof, landing with a crash in the middle of the dance floor.

A weedy old man made his way slowly to the stairs. Mar'ya Anne cradled her son to her chest, glancing fearfully at the man.

Her husband had trusted him, at one point he'd been a royal adviser. When the Romanov's believed he was a holy man. They now knew he'd sold his soul to the devil. He was evil.

"Ionafan, your majesty," the man made a weary, creaky bow.

Ionafan wrinkled his nose. "You're not welcome here, Rasputin, leave now."

"Leave! Don't you tell me what to do!"

"Leave my home now! Take your demons and devils and leave my home!" Ionafan shouted.

Mar'ya Anne did her best to hide her child from the evil man.

"You were wrong the day you betrayed me, Ionafan! The Romanov Dynasty ends here! You, your wife and that child will die within the fortnight!" Rasputin held up a glowing green vial and demonic looking smoke poured out, filling the room.

People began to panic, screaming and shouting and running for the doors. Pushing and shoving.

"Mar'ya Anne, go, leave now!" Ionafan cried.

Mar'ya Anne and her mother, Tatiana, ran for the exits with Carlisle. The last thing they heard was the threat;

"THIS IS THE END OF THE ROMANOV LINE …FOREVER!"

Mar'ya Anne veered left when she saw soldiers guarding the exit. She dove into the first room she saw, her mother following suite. Tatiana closed the door behind her.

"What do we do?" Mar'ya Anne whispered.

"There's a service tunnel in this wall," a soft voice said. The two women turned to see a small, darkish skinned girl with curly brown hair, bobbed down in a small door set into the wall. She crawled out and held out her hand, signalling that they should go in there.

Mar'ya Anne went first, hugging her son tightly to her body, her mother moved to followed as the door was slammed open and three soldiers stood in the doorway.

"Get her!" a blonde one shouted, he mustn't have been more than sixteen. The other two obeyed and made a grab for Tatiana causing her to drop her purse. The purse she'd returned the music box to for safe keeping.

The dark skinned girl took a heavy vase and fought off the unarmed soldiers until only the blonde stood. He looked fearful, like he was young and not seriously committed to what military life was. Still the young woman gave him a good smack over the head with the vase and he fell, unconscious, next to the purse.

The young woman quickly followed the other two into the secret passage, closing it after her. They crawled for what seemed like hours, the only noise; Carlisle's soft, frightened sobs.

Finally, they came out in the kitchen and ran for the unguarded door, bursting through it and into the frozen snow beyond.

But suddenly, they had a pursuer. Rasputin ran after them in a very un-frail-old-man way. He was agile and caught up quickly to the short women struggling with the high snow. He lunged for Mar'ya Anne, knocking the thin woman to the ground. Rasputin secured his bony fingers around Carlisle's throat, the child's terrified scream cut disturbingly short.

Tatiana and the young foreign woman were quick to free Carlisle and Mar'ya Anne from Rasputin's grip and he was quick to break the thin ice he'd stumbled onto.

"I'll find you, no matter where you go. I've cursed you!"

The three women ran as fast as their feet could carry them into town. The only chance at escaping this so called curse would be to run as far and as fast as they could.

The caught sight of a train leaving the station. They ran after it, the young woman leaping aboard and holding out her hand for Tatiana, then both of them held out their hands for Mar'ya Anne. She grasped their hands and pulled herself onto the crowded back of the train. It was a moment before she realised something was missing. Someone. She looked back to see Carlisle, who'd been knocked from her arms, sitting in the snow at the platform.

"Carlisle!" she shrieked, attempting to hurl herself over the side of the now reasonably fast train.

"Mar'ya Anne!" her mother tried to soothe her. "He's gone, you can't go back."

Mar'ya Anne watched helplessly as a passing soldier running with his gun at his side, accidentally slammed the butt of the weapon into Carlisle's head. She watched him fall silently into the snow, almost disappearing beneath it.

She'd caught that one last reach for her he'd somehow managed, she'd caught the horror, fear and slight rejection in his eyes before he fell limp.

She didn't blame him for feeling as if he'd been left behind, she felt that way herself. She began to cry. He really was gone now. He was dead, her only child, her precious son was dead.

Her poor, sweet, innocent Carlisle. Her poor baby.

Mar'ya Anne felt as if someone was ripping her chest open and slicing her heart to pieces. There was a hole in her, a hole she felt would never, ever be filled.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Ok, this story doesn't belong to me completely. SM owns Twilight characters and FOX own the rights to Anastasia and all the lyrics to their respective owners. Speaking of lyrics, yesterday I was at the airport seeing my boyfriend off to England for his job. So, as one would expect a lover to do, I kissed him on the lips (K, we made out), and some guy passing by called us faggots. So I did a Gaga and said "I'm beautiful in my way 'cause God makes no mistakes, I'm on the right track baby I was born this way!". Sure it was really weird, but it made me feel good. And a flight attendant smiled at me and nodded.**

**Enjoy the next chapter!**

** He Who Descends *xoxo***

10 Years Later

St Petersburg

"St Petersburg is gloomy," a man muttered as he moved coal.

"St Petersburg is bleak," a woman passing him murmured.

"My underwear got frozen standing here all week!"

A group of passers by joined the chorus.

"Since the Revolution, our lives have been so grey. Thank Goodness for the gossip, that gets us through the day."

"Hey!"

Out in the square, people began to join the song.

"Have you heard?  
There's a rumour in St Petersburg!  
And have you heard?  
What they're saying on the streets!

Although the Czar did not survive,  
The son, he may be still alive!  
The Prince Carlisle Aleksandr!"

"But please do not repeat," an old man murmured, slamming his shop doors.

"It's a rumour, a legend, a mystery!  
Something whispered in an alleyway,  
Or through a crack,  
It's a rumour that's part of our history!"

An old gypsy brandishing snow-globes portraying a young blonde in winter furs had the public's attention as she announced the latest.

"They say his royal grand-mama,  
Will pay a royal sum,  
To someone who can bring her precious back!"

A shady man in a back alley stepped forward.

"A ruple for this painting,  
It's Romanov, I swear."

A woman followed suit.

"Count Dusoloph's pajamas,  
Come lads, buy the pair!"

One more seller took the limelight.

"I got these from the palace,  
It's lined with real fur!  
It could be worth a fortune…  
If it belonged to him!"

A young blonde danced past the townsfolk, followed by a burly dark haired man and a skinny bronzy haired boy.

"It's the rumour, the legend, the mystery!  
It's the Prince Carlisle Aleksandr,  
Who will help us fly! 

You and I friends,  
Will go down in history! 

We'll find a boy to play the part,  
And teach him what to say,  
Dress him up and take him to Paris! 

Imagine the reward his dear old grand-mama will pay!  
Who else could pull it off but you and me!

We'll be rich!"

The burly man joined in. "We'll be rich!"

"We'll be out!" the blonde continued.

The bronzy boy sang now. "We'll be out!"

All together they shouted; "And St Petersburg will have some more to talk about!"

The people in the square began again.

"Have you heard?  
There's a rumour in St Petersburg!  
Have you heard?  
What they're saying on the streets!"

"Hey!"

"Have you heard?  
There's a rumour in St Petersburg!  
Have you heard?  
Comrades? What do you suppose?"

"A fascinating mystery!"

"The biggest con in history," the blonde sang with glee.

"The Prince Carlisle Aleksandr!  
Alive or dead?"

"Who knows?" the old chimney sweep murmured.


	3. Chapter 3

A Few Miles Outside St Petersburg.

"I found you a job at the fish market!" Olga announced in her screechy voice as she led me to the gate.

"Of course you did," I muttered.

"What was that?" she said, turning her vulture eyes on me.

"Nothing," I sang innocently.

"You should be grateful!" she began to rant.

I rolled my eyes and began mimicking her.

"_I feed you, I clothe you, I keep roof over your head_," I muttered.

"How is it that you remember all that, but not your life before here?" Olga grumbled.

"I don't know," I murmured.

I don't remember anything about my past. As far as I can remember, I was practically born in this orphanage. I wish I remembered. I wished I knew who my mother was. Or what my father's voice sounded like. But I didn't.

"Go, and good luck," Olga said sarcastically shoving me out the gate and to my knees in the thick snow. She slammed the gate, rasping out a laugh crossed with a cough. I started mimicking her again as I drew my coat and scarf closer.

"_You should be grateful, ahk!_" I choked on the 'ahk' at the end. After recapturing my voice, I shouted at the old building. "Grateful I'm leaving!"

I don't understand how she's allowed to kick me out. I'm only twelve winters old. As I trudged through the snow, I remembered the instructions she'd given me.

Turn left at the fork in the road.

I trudged some more before I came upon said fork. I stared up at the sign. Left to the fish market. Right… St Petersburg.

Left; eternity never knowing where I come from or who my parents are.

Right; a chance to find myself. Find out who I am. Find out who my family are.

I sighed. I'd never been one for decisions. I looked to the sky.

"Could you give a sign, please?" I shouted, sitting down in the fluffy whiteness at my feet.

I sat for a few moments, wondering what the best option was. Adventure and danger and potential happiness. Or bleakness and depression and safety and…fish.

Suddenly, I saw a little black kitten pop it's head out of the snow. I ran over to it and stroked it's ears.

"Hello, what're you doing all the way up here in the snow?"

Suddenly, it ran. I chased it, laughing and holding my beret tight against my head.

"Wait come back!" I giggled as my scarf got caught on a gust of wind and was swept in the direction of the kitten. I dove into the snow to catch it. I stood as I wrapped the wool scarf around my neck. I glanced back at the signs and realised the kitten and my scarf had both led me down the path toward St Petersburg.

I nodded and looked at the sky. "Ok, I can take a hint."

I turned to see the kitten sitting waiting for me. I looked down the path, seeing the tiniest bit of the city in the distance. I had a huge walk ahead of me. I began my long journey at a skip.

"Heart don't fail me now,  
Courage don't desert me,  
Don't turn back now that we're here!

"People always say,  
Life is full of choices,  
No one ever mentions fear.

"Or how the world can seem so vast  
On a journey to the past!

"Somewhere down this road,  
I know someone's waiting,  
Years of dreams just can't be wrong!

"Arms will open wide,  
I'll be safe and wanted,  
Finally home where I belong!

"Well, starting now I'm learning fast,  
On this journey to the past!

"Home, love, family.  
There was once a time I must have had them too.  
Home, love, family!  
I will never be complete until I find you!

"One step at a time!  
One hope then another!  
Who knows where this road may go?

"Back to who I was,  
On to find my future,  
Things my heart still needs to know!

"Yes, let this be a sign!  
Let this road be mine!  
Let it lead me to my past!  
And bring me home,  
At last!"

I'd sang away the long walk and found myself in the city of St Petersburg.

I paused to look at the beaded bracelet on my wrist. I read the lettering etched into the pearly white beads.

_Together in Paris_.

"Together in Paris. That _must_ be where they are," I muttered to myself, joining the queue for the train tickets. If my family were in Paris, then that was where I'd go.

I finally got my turn. I could barely see over the top of the counter.

"One ticket to Paris!" I cried, just to make sure the man heard me. He leaned out over the edge of the window and chuckled.

"Travel visas?" he said tauntingly.

"Visas?" I repeated, confused.

"No visa, no ticket," he shrieked, slamming the windows to his office closed. My shoulders sagged.

"How do I get to Paris now?" I whispered. I felt someone tugging my arm. I turned to see an elderly woman. She leaned close to me.

"You didn't hear it from me, but Jasper can help you."

"Oh. Where can I find him?" I whispered back.

"The old palace, go, go," the woman ushered me away.

I walked the streets for a while not finding the old palace. Spooky, the cat, milled about my feet and scampered after me everywhere.

Finally I decided to ask someone. I found a nice-ish looking man and asked him politely where I could find the old palace. He pointed one way and told me to follow the road until I got to the big gates and then behind them was the old palace.

I did as I was told and found myself staring at the hugest gates I'd ever seen, something strange tugged at my memory as I slid between the bars of the gate and scampered under a wooden barricade into the huge building.

I found myself in a hallway. I followed it, took a very short flight of stairs downward and into what looked like a ballroom. As I stared out, the tugging at my memory got more noticeable.

Suddenly, before my eyes, the figures in ball gowns and suited attire glided out from the paintings that lined the walls. I took the last few steps down and onto the dance floor.

I watched the ghostly figures twirling gracefully.

"Dancing bears,  
Painted wings,  
Things I almost remember.

"And a song someone sings,  
Once upon a December.  
Someone holds me safe and warm,  
Horses dance through a silver storm.

"Figures dancing gracefully,  
Across my memory!

"Far away!  
Long ago!  
Glowing dim as an ember,  
Things my heart used to know,  
Once upon a December!

"Someone holds me safe and warm,  
Horses prance through a silver storm.

"Figures dancing gracefully,  
Across my memory!

"Far away long ago,  
Glowing dim as an ember,  
Things my heart used to know,  
Things it yearns to remember!

"And a song someone sings,  
Once upon a December!"

I twirled along with pale, corpse-like creatures of ethereal beauty. I stared at all of them, wondering briefly if I was dreaming. And then I saw her. A blonde woman was making her way down from the four thrones at the head of the room.

She took my hands and danced with me in no particular fashion or order. We just spun until I fell over. When I opened my eyes, they were all gone.

"Hey!"

I stood abruptly to see three men rushing down the stairs and onto the dance floor. Frightened, I skittered away and hid behind one of the huge, velvet curtains.

"Damn it!" the blonde one said. "Did you see what I saw?"

"Um, no, I saw a kid?" the huge burly one said.

"I think I saw what you saw, Jazz," the bronzy haired one said, grinning manically.

"Look, kid, we're not going to hurt you. We just wanna' know why you're here," the tall, blonde man said.

"I-I'm looking for Jasper, I was told he could help me with travel visas," I said softly.

"What? You're just a kid, where could you possibly want to go without your mummy or your daddy?" the bronze haired one asked.

"Well, I want to go to Paris," I whispered, "I don't have a family. But I have this…feeling that they might be in Paris."

"Well, I just so happen to have five tickets to Paris. But, the last two are for Eduard's sister and for the Prince, Carlisle Aleksandr. So unless you are the Prince, I can't help you," the blonde said, turning and walking away.

"No, please wait! I'd do anything for that ticket!" I cried, stepping out of my hiding place.

The three turned around.

"Well, perhaps you are him," the blonde said. He stepped forward and dragged me up the stairs and stood me in front of a portrait.

"Mmm, they look like twins!" the bronze cried.

"How old are you?" the blonde asked.

"Twelve winters," I murmured in response.

"Well, it's been ten years since the Romanov incident, and Carlisle Aleksandr was only two at the time," the big guy said, thinking about it hard.

"What's your name?" the bronze boy asked.

"Alek Mikhail," I answered.

"Wasn't the Prince's name Carlisle Aleksandr Mikhail Romanov?" the burly guy said.

The blonde had a cunning look on his face. "Oh yes, so it was. Where are you from and is there a last name to go with that?"

"Um, this is going to sound stupid, but I don't remember anything about my past. That's why I want to find my parents," I explained.

"Well, you wouldn't remember being a Prince if you were two and were separated from your family, now would you?" the blonde said.

"No, I guess I wouldn't."

"I think you could most definitely be the Prince. Whadda' you guys think?" the dark haired guy said.

Both the blonde haired and bronze haired men agreed.

"How is it that I can go from not remembering anything about my past to being a long lost Prince?" I said.

"Oh, you'd be surprised what can happen to people," the blonde said. "So, we could take you to Paris, to see the Empress and her mother, but only if you believe you could be the Prince."

"But I don't know anything about royalty," I said, "And what if she doesn't believe me."

"Doesn't remember slash recognise you. I am totally confident you are Carlisle Aleksandr Mikhail Romanov," the blonde said. "So, you'll come with us?"

"I…Ok," I agreed. Even if it was only to get to Paris. Maybe then I'd just ditch them.

**Press the little button and review! =3**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Yay! Thanks Laci for the PM! Love ya for it! Anyways, I want anyone else reading this to know I have a new series coming soon. It's called Haunted World. It has Jasper, Alice and Carlisle. Little bits of others and lots of Sam and Dean Winchester! Yay! So, PM me if you know any good haunted spots! Or leave the name of it as a review!**

**Love ya!**

** He Who Descends *xoxo***

Paris.

A young woman stood in front of me.

"I assure you, your Highness, this is Carlisle Aleksandr."

She stepped back to reveal yet another young blonde-ish boy. I studied him and shook my head.

He wasn't pretty enough to be my son. And he didn't have the same snowy almost white blonde hair. This boy's hair was a dirty blonde, almost brown. His face was similar but not the same as Carlisle's. He didn't have my son's high cheek bones or feminine lips.

I waved a hand dismissively.

My mother ushered the two out of the room.

"Oh, mama, I'll see no more boys claiming to be my Carlisle," I said wearily.

"Mar'ya Anne, we cannot stop now, I was so sure that could have been him. But from now on we shan't be fooled, my child, I'll think of harder questions," Tatiana said.

"No, no more. My heart can't take it. He's dead Tatiana," I whispered. "He was so small, there was no way a hit that hard to his head didn't kill him."

"Mar'ya Anne, don't you think we'd feel it in our hearts if he were dead? I feel that he is still alive, lost and alone, but alive," Tatiana said. "Please, we could be so close."

"Perhaps… I've had enough for _today_. Send the others away until tomorrow," I said softly. "I gave up on him once, I left him at that train station. I can't do it again."

My mother smiled widely at me and I smiled weakly in return.

"We will find him, my dear, we will," she assured.


	5. Chapter 5

Somewhere In the Darkest Corner of Hell

"Master!" the tiny white bat flew ever faster through the sickening darkness of Hell until he came upon the man he knew as his master.

"WHAT?" the old man cried. The bat jumped back, coming far too close for comfort to a flying glass bottle.

"Sir, it's the Prince, he's back," the bat said with a certain urgency.

"WHAT?" the old man screamed louder this time, sitting bolt upright from his previous lying down position. "No! It's impossible!"

"Apparently not, sir, he's with a group of people. They say they're going to Paris," the bat reported.

"But that's where the Empress is! Her and that old hag got away!" the man cried. "No, they can't go to Paris! But, alas, there's nothing I can do. My powers have been gone for years."

The man draped a hand over his weary eyes. His powers would never return, not unless his destroyed reliquary were to somehow return.

"Oh, and I found this in the palace," the bat said, swooping to collect the long, thick, green filled vial he'd dropped on his way in.

"MY RELIQUARY!" the old man yelled. He snatched it from the bat and rubbed his temple against it lovingly. "Perhaps there is something I can do…

"In the dark of the night I was tossing and turning  
And the nightmare I had was as bad as can be!  
It scared me out of my wits,  
A corpse falling to bits!  
Then I opened my eyes,  
And the nightmare was...me!

"I was once the most mystical man in all Russia.  
When the royals betrayed me they made a mistake!  
My curse made each of them pay,  
But one little boy got away!  
Little Alek, beware,  
Rasputin's awake!"

Hundreds of thousands of tiny beetles and insects overflowed from the cracks in the landscape, moving in formation, their tiny voices collecting to make a choir of evil.

"In the dark of the night evil will find him,  
In the dark of the night just before dawn!  
Aah..."

Rasputin got off the slab of rock he'd been lying on and continued.

"Revenge will be sweet,  
When the curse is complete!"

He and his Hellish friends sang in chorus.

"In the dark of the night,  
He'll be gone!"

Rasputin was so overjoyed he was almost in tears, "I can feel that my powers are slowly returning!  
Tie my sash and a dash of cologne for that smell!  
As the pieces fall into place,  
I'll see him crawl into place!  
Dasvidanya, Aleksandr, your grace, farewell!"

The creatures of night began again, their voices echoing around the rock chamber.

"In the dark of the night terror will strike him!"

"Terror's the least I can do!" Rasputin screeched.

"In the dark of the night evil will brew.  
Ooh!" the insects were dancing in formation, the bat watching on in disgusted intrigue.

"Soon he will feel, that his nightmares are real!"

"In the dark of the night…" the creatures sang.

"He'll be through!" Rasputin cried.

"In the dark of the night,  
Evil will find him,  
Find him!  
Ooh!  
In the dark of the night terror comes true.  
Doom him!" the insects cried.

"My dear, here's a sign…it's the end of the line!" Rasputin sang with a sickening glee. "Come my minions,  
Rise for your master,  
Let your evil shine!  
Find him now,  
Yes, fly ever faster!"

Disturbing green creatures swirled forth from the vial and flew in circles around Rasputin.

"In the dark of the night...  
In the dark of the night...  
In the dark of the night..." the creatures cried in awe as the green demons flew out a volcano-like hole above them.

"He'll be mine!" Rasputin screamed. 

**Review and I'll love you… =3**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Holy crap-sticks! It's been aaaages since I updated this! But guess what? I'm finished it and I cried while I wrote the end! And there's a sequel!**

**Spread the love xoxo,**

** He Who Descends ^_^**

On Board A Train

"Why does the cat get the window seat?" Eduard murmured.

"Because, she wants to sit there," I said.

"So, Emmett, about those travel papers?" Jasper said, eyeing his friend.

"Almost done," Emmett murmured in concentration.

I turned my attention to the window and looked at the snowy landscape flying by. I started humming my tune under my breath.

"So, that is the Prince of Russia?" the girl opposite me asked her brother, Eduard.

"Yes, Esme, dear."

"He looks like an orphan," she remarked. I shot a glare at her and she stuck out her tongue.

"Can you please move your cat, Alek?"

"Do you really believe I'm the Prince Carlisle Aleksandr?" I said.

"Yes, I've told you that about sixty times now," Jasper said.

"Then stop telling me what to do, I'm royalty I should be bossing you around," I said.

He rolled his eyes and continued standing in the doorway, letting Spooky have her seat.

Jasper poked his head out of the cabin, quickly pulling it back in.

"Emmett, let me see those documents," he said, snatching at the travel papers Emmett had. He studied them and then poked his head out of the cabin again. "That's what I hate about this government, everything is red."

"Oh dear," Eduard said, catching a glimpse of Emmett's blue inked papers. "Looks like we need to be moving."

"To the baggage car," Esme interrupted.

"Why to the baggage car?" I said as I was ushered out of the cabin by Emmett.

"Because we hate to make you mingle with these commoners," Jasper said, clearly lying.

"Okaaayyy," I said, going with the flow. Whatever got me to France.

I was shoved through a door and into the freezing baggage car.

"It's nice and cool in here, isn't it?" I said.

Eduard's sister sat down next to me on the floor as the others grabbed all our bags in.

As much as I may have liked to deny it, I liked Esme. She was pretty and nice when you got past her rather thieving exterior. She could be cold at times, but she'd grown up with nothing, I couldn't blame her.

Spooky wandered to the front of the carriage.

"Wonder what's behind that door," I murmured, getting up and following her. I stepped up to the door and stood on my tiptoes to see through the small, round window into the darkness outside and over the top of the coal carriage, then through the long window at the back of the train.

There was what looked to be a fire place with flames so great they were roaring forth from the grates. The room was empty though.

"Isn't somebody supposed to be driving the train?" I said over the sound of the huge locomotive.

"Yes," Jasper said, running over to the window and peering outside. "Uh-oh."

"What's uh-oh, why are you saying uh-oh?" I said.

"Because nobody's driving the train," just as Jasper finished the sentence, our carriage broke away from the rest of the train with a huge jolt that sent anyone who was standing to the floor, me included.

"We're going way too fast!" Esme called over the sound of rushing wind.

"It's fine, we'll just detach this carriage from the actual train," Jasper said, climbing out the door and onto the back of the coal carriage. He gasped when he studied the latches connecting the two carriages.

"What?" Emmett said.

"They're melted together. Get me a hammer or a chisel or something," Jasper ordered. Emmett obeyed and brought him a hammer. Jasper began pounding away at the connected metals.

I looked out to check his progress. There was no way that was going to work. I turned back to the inside of the carriage and saw Spooky, perched atop a box labelled;

EXPLOSIVE.

"That'll work," I said to myself, making my way over to the box and prying it open. I pulled out one stick of dynamite and delved into my coat pocket. I knew there was always a reason I stole things; and it wasn't because I was kleptomaniac. I always just looked at things sitting on tables and thought '_Gee that might come in handy one day'_ and then stashed them in my pockets.

I pulled out the matches and used one to light the fuse.

"Emmett, I'm gonna' need another hammer," Jasper said from outside the carriage. Emmett and Eduard scuffled about looking for another hammer. I snuck over to the door and handed Jasper the dynamite. He took it and went to smack it on the metal and then realised what it was.

"That could work," he said, shoving it between the two melted metals and diving back into the carriage, dragging me with him. He dragged everybody behind a pile of boxes and we listened to the loud bang as the dynamite exploded, freeing our carriage from the engine.

"We're still going way too fast!" Esme cried.

"We'll have to jump," Emmett said, hauling open the side door. Jasper dragged me to it.

"Us first," he said.

I peered out and decided no way I was jumping out of the train and over the edge of a bridge.

"You first," I said to Jasper.

"Damn!" Jasper cursed.

"What?" Esme called.

"We're on a bridge," Jasper replied. He turned back, pulling me away from the door.

There was a sudden loud bang in the distance. Everybody gathered around the open door, staring at a bridge in the distance as it went up in flames and hundreds of green smoky creatures flew in all directions away from the flames.

"That could make things very difficult," Emmett murmured.

"Somebody sabotaged this train," Eduard said fearfully.

"We have to get out of here," Esme said. She ushered us to the back of the carriage where there was a gaping hole. "Wait until the bridge has passed, and we'll jump. All of us at once."

"That bridge is getting close," Emmett said.

I looked down and saw snow beneath us. No more long fall to the bottom of a ravine.

"Let's go," Jasper said. Emmett and Eduard gathered all of the luggage.

"How exactly does one go about leaping from a moving train?" I said.

"Well, how about like this," and Jasper shoved me and Esme out into the freezing snow.

I heard the thuds as he and Emmett and Eduard landed in the snow a little ways from us. There was about thirty seconds before an almighty 'boom' rocked the earth beneath us and I knew the train had hit home at the bottom of the ravine ahead.

That was what I'd call too close for comfort.


	7. Chapter 7

Some Hours/Days Later

We were walking, where I have no idea, but we were walking along a beautiful path through the forest. I could hear a stream in the distance and the sound was soothing. I was sure I'd broken my wrist after Jasper shoved me out of the train, so he promised me he'd take me to see a doctor first town we found, sadly for me though, we hadn't passed any towns yet. My wrist ached like nothing I'd ever felt and I'd done some nasty things to myself over the years.

"Are we there yet?" Esme moaned.

"Where is there?" I mimicked.

"Paris," Jasper answered.

I sighed, "Can you carry me?" I said pathetically.

"Alright, come here," Jasper agreed. I wandered over to him and he pulled me into his arms, slinging me over his shoulder.

We walked like that for hours, and eventually Jasper pulled me back around and began carrying me bridal style.

"Now, there isn't long before we meet the Grand Duchess and the Empress. There are some things you need to…_re-_learn," Jasper said.

I moaned in an unenthusiastic way, my wrist throbbing in agreement.

"Now, listen carefully and remember," Jasper said.

"You were born in a palace by the sea," Emmett said

"A palace by the sea?  
Could it be?" I said, bordering on sarcastic.

"Yes, that's right!  
And you rode horseback when you were only wee," Emmett continued.

"Horseback riding? Me?" I said sceptically.

"And the horse," Jasper added, "He was white!"

"You made faces and terrorized the cook," Emmett informed me with a giggle.

"Threw him in the brook," Jasper laughed.

"Was I wild?" I whispered.

"Wrote the book!" Jasper cried.

"But you'd behave when your father gave that look," Eduard said.

"Imagine how it was," Jasper began.

"Your long forgotten past…" Emmett continued.

"We've lots and lots to teach you ,  
And the time is going fast!" Esme and Eduard finished.

"Alright," I sighed tiredly, "I'm ready."

Jasper set me down on the path, holding under my arms, just until I got used to standing again.

"Now, shoulders back and stand up tall,  
And do not walk but try to float," Eduard ordered, correcting my posture with hard hands.

"I feel a little foolish  
Am I floating?" I said, embarrassed.

"Like a little boat!" Emmett assured with a smile.

"You give a bow," Esme began.

"What happens now?"

"Your hand receives a kiss," she finished.

"Most of all, remember this;" all of the boys said firmly, rolling their eyes at Esme. 

"If I can learn to do it,  
You can learn to do it," Esme said.

"Something in you knows it," Eduard said.

"There's nothing to it," Emmett said.

"Follow in my footsteps,  
Shoe by shoe," Jasper advised.

"You can learn to do it, too," all of them encouraged.

"Now, elbows in and sit up straight," Eduard instructed.

"And never slurp the stroganoff," Emmett said.

"I never cared for stroganoff," I said in a dismissive, stuck up manner.

"He said that like a Romanov," Jasper remarked.

"The Samovar," Eduard said.

"The Caviar," Esme added.

"Dessert and then goodnight?" I yawned.

"Not until you get this right!  
If I can learn to do it,  
You can learn to do it," they all said.

"You _can_ learn to do it," Jasper said.

"Pull yourself together,  
And you'll pull through it," Eduard said.

"Tell yourself it's easy,  
And it's true…  
You can learn to do it, too," Emmett said.

"Next, we memorize  
the names of the royalty  
Now, here we have Kropotkin," Eduard said, pulling a book out of his bag and opening it on a page with a picture of a family tree on it and pointing to a man.

"Shot Potemkin," Jasper added, pointing to another man.

"In the Botkin," Emmett chuckled, shoving a finger at an angry looking old woman's picture.

"Oh!"

"And dear old uncle Vanya  
Loves his Vodka," Jasper said, showing Vanya's picture.

"Got it, Aleksandr?" Eduard said.

"No!"

"The Baron Pushkin," Emmett said, pointing to yet another picture in the book.

"He was…?" I began but couldn't finish.

"Short!"

"Count Anatoly," Eduard cried.

"Had a...?"

"Wart!"

"Count Sergei!" Eduard continued the quiz.

"Wore a feathered hat."

"I hear he's gotten very fat."

"And I recall his yellow cat," I suddenly cried.

Eduard gave me a look, his eyebrow raised.

"I don't believe we told him that," Esme murmured to Jasper who looked over me with a critical eye.

"If you can learn to do it,  
I can learn to do it," I diverted the attention.

"Don't know how you knew it," Emmett winked.

"I simply knew it!  
Suddenly I feel like someone new!" I cried.

"Alek, you're a dream come true!" the others sang.

We all stopped walking and looked up and in the distance were the slight details of a city.

"Paris!" Emmett said, throwing a hand toward it.

There was a noise from behind us and we turned to see a little old man in a cart trundling toward us.

"Hello there!" Emmett called running to meet him. I didn't hear the rest of the conversation, but the old man let us have a ride with him. Not long after Jasper helped Esme and myself on to the wooden cart, I was asleep.


	8. Chapter 8

2 Days Later

We had arrived in Paris about ten minutes ago and I had checked us into an Inn. We were up in our room and I was slightly worried, Alek hadn't woken yet.

For some unknown reason, I'd become very attached to him, I cared about him.

I made my way over to his bed; Eduard had insisted on putting him to bed. Eduard said he was young and tired, still a child and that was what children did. I wasn't convinced, however.

"Alek," I whispered, shaking him gently. He didn't even stir. "Alek," I said a bit louder, shaking him quite violently.

He jolted back into the waking world and sat up.

"Alek, are you ok? You've been asleep for hours," I said.

"My wrist hurts and I don't feel well," he murmured.

"Shall I take you to see the doctor?" I asked.

He nodded and I looked up at the others.

"We're going to see the doctor, we'll be back soon," I said, helping Alek out of the bed. I pulled him to his feet but he stumbled and I had to catch him before he fell.

"Alek!" I cried as he slipped from my grasp and landed on the floor.

"Jasper," he murmured in a semi-conscious kind of way. "I think I'm gonna' be sick."

I helped him to the bathroom and he was sick. _Very_ sick indeed.

When he was sure he wouldn't be sick again, I managed to drag him to the doctor's office where we were forced to wait for an hour and a half before we could see a doctor.

We were shown into a small office where a dark skinned girl with rich chocolate hair sat at a desk.

"Hello," she smiled, "And how can I help you today?"

"My…son, Alek, is sick," I said softly.

I waited for the death stare or the smart comment from Alek, but I received none. He really must have been sick to not be being a smart ass.

"Let me see," the young woman said, taking a stethoscope from around her neck and plugging it into her ears. She placed the other end onto Alek's chest.

"His pulse is a little irregular," she remarked as she watched her pocket watch and listened to his heartbeat. "Will you help him onto that bed over there," she said, signalling a bed.

I nodded and picked Alek up easily laying him on the bed.

The doctor came back over to the bed with a long, thin stick in her hand. Oh. This should be fun.

Alek looked up and came back to the world of the fully conscious when he saw it.

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no!" he cried.

"Yes, now hold still," the doctor said.

"No, I'm fine, I'll get better," Alek cried, shuffling away from the woman.

I had to hold him while she took his temperature anally.

"Well, looks like he's got a fever, maybe just keep him resting for a while. Perhaps, actually, bed confined. Nothing, I want him to rest and if he gets any worse bring him back," she said. "Lots of water should help flush out the virus."

"Could you look at his wrist too," I said, "I think he broke it climbing a tree a few days ago."

She nodded and took his wrist gently, turning it over and inspecting it.

"Yes, it would appear it's broken," she announced after what seemed like hours of checking. "I'll pressure bandage it and I want him not to move it."

"For how long is the bed rest and the not moving the wrist?" I said, a little impatient. I didn't have three months for him. The Grand Duchess would only see people for so long.

"Maybe three weeks," she said, "Not moving his wrist for about six months."

"WHAT?" I cried.

"You have two weeks to get better Alek, we can't wait any longer," I said, tucking him under the covers in the hotel.

"What?" he whispered.

"You want to find your family right, well they may not stay here for the recommended length of time. So, we need to see them ASAP," I explained. I took the little music box I'd had since my military days and sat it by his bed, winding it with its little key.

The music started and I left Alek lying there to rest. As I was walking toward the kitchen I heard something.

"On the wind,  
Cross the sea,  
Hear this song and remember,  
Soon you'll be home with me,  
Once upon a December."

I recognised that song. That was the private lullaby for the Prince Carlisle Aleksandr.

It suddenly dawned on me. There was only one way anyone would know that, and that was if they were Carlisle Aleksandr or his parents or grandmother. The only reason I knew it was because I was a palace guard and I accidentally overheard it the night the Romanov's were chased from Russia.

I hurried into the main area of the room to find Esme, Eduard and Emmett in there, glued to books, looking for anything Alek may need to learn before his big debut in acting.

"Guys, I think that may be the real Carlisle Aleksandr," I said.

They all looked up at me, their eyes wide.

"Are you sure you aren't just believing your own lie?" Eduard said.

"Yes. He knows the lullaby. The Prince's private lullaby," I stated.

"You think he's really the Prince?" Esme said.

"Yeah," I nodded.

"Then we need to take him to see the Grand Duchess and the Empress as soon as possible, he needs to be with his family."

We all looked at her strangely.

"We all know what it's like to live without our families, why keep him longer when his are waiting, _searching_ for him? I figure if I can't have a family, I don't want to see anyone else be deprived of that. So if you believe, Jasper, even a _tiny_ bit that he is who we're going to claim he is, then we need to get him back to the people who love him," Esme stated.


	9. Chapter 9

Another new day had begun, and another enormous line up had formed outside my home. Surely there had to be some kind of limit to how many blue eyed, blonde haired boys there were in Paris? It surely didn't seem that way.

"Are you ready, Mar'ya Anne?" my mother asked.

I sighed, "I suppose," I waved a hand.

"Then we'll begin, the line is larger than it was yesterday," Tatiana said.

I hummed my 'yes'.

My mother left the room to usher the first boy in. He smiled. He was charming, of that there was no doubt. He was platinum blonde, had sparkling blue eyes and high cheek bones.

I studied him very carefully. He was very similar indeed to my son, but something just wasn't right.

As that thought crossed my mind, I noticed a mole just under his hairline. Carlisle had no such marks on his porcelain skin.

"I'm sorry, but you are not my son," I shook my head and he nodded slowly, hanging his head and leaving the room.

"Next!" I called.

A tall, lanky blonde man came into the room. At first he appeared to be alone, but I saw a smaller set of legs behind him.

He spoke softly to the smaller person concealed completely by his own form. He then turned to me.

"Your Highness," he bowed politely and I nodded. "I believe this _is_ the real Carlisle Aleksandr."

"I've heard such phrases a number of times sir."

He stepped to the side to reveal a small, blonde boy.

His hair was platinum, his eyes were even more sparkly than the boy before him, his cheek bones were high, his lips were ladylike, his skin was pale.

Something was different about this boy. Perhaps it was his tiny stature, or the injured arm he was cradling.

I studied him as he fidgeted under my gaze. I wanted so desperately to believe that this could be my son, but something inside of me shook its head.

"I'm sorry," I said softly.

"What… no! Come on, you of all people have to know that's him!" the tall blonde cried.

I shook my head, "Next!"

"Alek, sing it!" the tall blonde cried.

The nervous boy stared at him. "Sing what?"

"The lullaby, the one that goes with the music box, show her!"

My eyes darted to the boy. Lullaby? Music box? How…?

He took out a tiny little music box and wound it up. He set it on the table by the door and looked at me.

"On the wind,  
Cross the sea,  
Hear this song and remember,  
Soon you'll be home with me,  
Once upon a December."

Th…that was impossible! Only one person could know that… my son. The prince Carlisle Aleksandr Mikhail Romanov.

"C-Carlisle?" I stuttered.

"Mar'ya Anne, what's taking so long?" my mother came into the room.

I stood and walked over to the boy. I knelt before him and he pulled back a little.

"Am I in trouble?" he whispered.

"No," I whispered back. "Where did you get that music box?"

"Jasper gave it to me, he used to work at the Romanov palace, the old one as a soldier," he whispered.

My mother and the tall blonde were watching us closely.

"How do you know that song?" I whispered.

"I don't know, I just always have. I always used to sing it before I went to sleep at the orphanage," he looked up at me, "I didn't steal it from anyone."

"Of course you didn't," I whispered, tears in my eyes.

"Please don't cry, I didn't mean to upset you so," he blushed.

"Oh, you haven't upset me. You've made me the happiest woman in the world," I said, embracing him. "Carlisle Aleksandr."

"I'm not Carlisle Aleksandr," he murmured.

"But the only person on earth who could know that song is Carlisle Aleksandr. You know the lullaby, so you must be him," I said.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Last chappy! Yay! Now I can start on the sequel! This chapter has some boy on boy, just so you know…**

**Spread the love xoxo,**

** He Who Descends**

3 Weeks Later

I felt good about having given a woman back her long lost child and having given an orphan his mother back. I was happy that Mar'ya Anne and Tatiana could stop wondering about Carlisle and that Alek could stop wondering about his family.

But I felt uncharacteristically clingy and I didn't want to leave.

"So, you have to go back to Russia?" Carlisle asked.

"Yes, I can't stay. I have business to run," I said, smiling. There was silence.

"It's not really a business, its fraud."

I chuckled, not looking up from over the balcony at the garden.

"I still need to go back," I said, not able to come up with a satisfactory reason.

"I suppose. You've got your fortune and you're rid of me, so you can go back to Russia and get on with things," Carlisle said.

I looked up, expecting him to be either angry or joking. But instead he was looking off to the side.

"I didn't take the money your grandmother offered me," I said.

"What?"

"I took for travel and enough to get Esme into a ladies academy," I explained.

"Why didn't you take it?" he asked.

"Because I don't… I don't want it," I sighed.

He made a little noise in the back of his throat. The silence was awkward.

"Your crown looks stupid," I said.

"Excuse me, at least I _have_ a crown," he said.

"It looks more like a tiara."

"That's because it gets passed down through generations. They have to allow for the baby to be a girl or a boy," he said.

"Right," I nodded, smiling to myself.

"So… I'll miss you," Carlisle murmured.

I looked up, surprised. Both that he'd miss me and that he'd admitted it.

He was closer to me than I'd thought. He wrapped his arms around my stomach and I leaned my head down near his.

"You were there for me when nobody else would be and you did something for me that I thought nobody could do," he spoke through tears.

I was so surprised. Had he really been this attached to me?

"Please don't cry, not over me," I said. He looked up into my eyes.

He stepped onto my feet and pushed himself onto the tips of his toes. His arms moved to my neck and before I could react those womanly, red lips were pressed against mine.

"Carlisle Aleksandr?" Mar'ya Anne's voice broke through the haze that surrounded us.

Carlisle pulled away from me and ran into the house.

I licked my lips, tasting him on them.

Carlisle didn't say goodbye to us. Tatiana and Mar'ya Anne saw us off.

As I slowly got further away from him, I felt an ache form in my heart.

Could love really happen between us?

Between two boys?

Between a prince and a con-man?

At that time, I guessed I'd never know. However I was wrong…


End file.
